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Submission + - Fishing line as artificial 'muscle' (sciencemag.org)

brindafella writes: Researchers have made what they describe as an "almost embarrassing" discovery, that twisted nylon fishing line can form a "powerful, large-stroke, high-stress artificial muscles" capable of lifting as much as 100 times more weight than human muscles and contracting by 49%, and "generate 5.3 kilowatts of mechanical work per kilogram of muscle weight, similar to that produced by a jet engine." They twisted the fishing line, then heated it to 'set' the shape-memory muscle. The scientists are from the Australian Research Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at the University of Wollongong, and the University of Texas. It's published in Science magazine.

Comment Re:By reef... (Score 2) 277

WTF is a cubic ton? Contrary to what the enviro-warrior propagandists would have you think, this is not an evil coal waste product. It is dredge spoil from the ocean floor, the like of which has been dredged and dumped from every medium/deep water port along the coast. The only reason this is getting airplay is because the dredging is to expand a coal loading port, not a commercial fishing or leisure craft port. They couldn't get enough traction to stop the ships navigating through the reef to they are going after the next softest target.

Comment Re:News? (Score 1) 104

I have, lamenting each time that our education system is releasing Network Admins into the wild with no RF knowledge. The story should have been...

We have now realise the error of our ways and are introducing compulsory RF Theory subjects to all our Networking courses.

Of course as others have said this is more marketing 'case study' by the antenna vendor than story. Notice TFA mentions that they did test antennas from other vendors, but give no indication of the relative performance. My bet is that most would be within the margin of error and that the ultimate choice came down to the discount they received for pushing out the 'case study' as news.

Comment News? (Score 5, Insightful) 104

It is hardly newsworthy that a group of IT network techs 'fixed' their coverage and performance problems using directional antenna technology. Radio techs have been doing exactly that since they learnt about propagation. A newsworthy story would be that they have (finally) started incorporating at least basic RF theory in all IT networking related courses and subjects.

Comment Re:They're not trolls (Score 1) 107

The key part of that quote for me is "by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." Looks like the broken part of the system is allowing rights holders to sell their rights to another who acts as Author or Inventor, rather than simply licensing the use of the tech.

Comment Re:It's not just the Javascript either... (Score 1) 318

What about all the non-free images and text taking away your rights?

Wake up people!111

What about all the non-free avenues they suggest you promote this through....how many youtwitfaces are non-free.

To amplify the effect of your action, post about it on your microblogging system or social network. Use the hashtag #freejs and link to this blog post.

Your Rights Online

Submission + - The Use of truth serum to confirm insanity (cbsnews.com)

xclr8r writes: James Holmes representation did not enter a plea today in with regards to the Aurora, Co. Movie theatre shooting so the Judge entered a plea of not guilty for James that could be changed at a later date by Holmes' attorney. The judge entered an advisory that if the plea was changed to Not Guilty by insanity that Holmes would be subject to a "narcoanalytic interview" with the possibility of medically appropriate substances could be used e.g. so called truth serums. Holmes defense looks to have initially objected to this but as the previous article seems to infer that some compromises are being worked out. This certainly raises legal questions on how this is being played out 5th, 14th amendments. The legal expert in the second article states this is legal under Co. law but admits there's not a huge amount of cases regarding this. I was only able to find Harper v State where a defendant willingly underwent truth serum and wanted to submit the interview on his behalf but was rejected due to the judge not recognizing sufficient scientific basis to admit the evidence.

Submission + - Defcad.com Wants To Be The Google Of 3D-Printable Guns (forbes.com)

Sparrowvsrevolution writes: For the last six months, Cody Wilson and his non-profit group Defense Distributed have worked towards a controversial goal: To make as many firearm components as possible into 3D-printable, downloadable files. Now they’re seeking to make those files searchable, too–and to make a profit while they’re at it.

In a talk at the South By Southwest conference in Austin, Texas Monday afternoon, Wilson announced a new, for-profit spinoff of his gun-printing project that will serve as both a repository and search engine for CAD files, including the ones designed to let anyone build a deadly firearm in their garage. Though the search engine will index all types of files, Wilson says he hopes the group's reputation for hosting politically incendiary content will mean users trust that it won't censor search results. "When we say you should have access to these files, people believe we mean that,” says Wilson. “No takedowns. No removals. We’d fight everything to the full extent of the law.”

Along with the SXSW announcement, Wilson also released a provocative video where he lays out the plan for Defcad.com and criticizes gun control advocates and "collusive" 3D printing companies like Makerbot.

Android

Submission + - STRaND-1 Satellite Preparing to Activate Onboard Nexus One (thepowerbase.com) 1

An anonymous reader writes: In as little as a few days, the British-made Surrey Training, Research, and Nanosatellite Demonstrator (STRaND-1) satellite will begin transitioning its key systems over to a completely stock Android Nexus One smartphone that's been bolted to the bottom of it. The mission is designed to test the endurance of off-the-shelf consumer hardware, and to validate Android as a viable platform for controlling low-cost spacecraft.

STRaND-1 managed to beat NASA's own "PhoneSat" mission to the punch, which will see a Nexus One and Nexus S launched into space aboard the April test flight of the Orbital Sciences Antares commercial launch vehicle, the prime competitor to SpaceX's Falcon 9.

Submission + - US Attorney General Defends Handling of Aaron Swartz Case (wired.com)

TrueSatan writes: Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday said the suicide death of internet activist Aaron Swartz was a “tragedy,” but the hacking case against the 26-year-old was “a good use of prosecutorial discretion.” The attorney general was testifying at a Justice Department oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary committee and was facing terse questioning from Sen. John Cornyn (D-Texas).
Holder stated: “I think that’s a good use of prosecutorial discretion to look at the conduct, regardless of what the statutory maximums were and to fashion a sentence that was consistent with what the nature of the conduct was. And I think what those prosecutors did in offering 3, 4, zero to 6 was consistent with that conduct.”
Notwithstanding Holder’s testimony, Massachusetts federal prosecutors twice indicted Swartz for the alleged hacking, once in 2011 on four felonies and again last year on 13 felonies. The case included hacking charges under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act that was passed in 1984 to enhance the government’s ability to prosecute hackers who accessed computers to steal information or to disrupt or destroy computer functionality.

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